Police raid Sunland Park City Hall

State police serve a search warrant Tuesday at Sunland Park City Hall. Officials did not give details about what the state police were looking for and said that information was confidential. (Juan Antonio Rodriguez / El Paso Times)

New Mexico State Police officers, armed with a search warrant, vacated Sunland Park City Hall on Tuesday so investigators could comb through city records.

Scot Key, assistant district attorney for the 3rd Judicial District, said he could not disclose what was in the search warrant or in other documents investigators are looking at because they are under a court seal.

"As to the reasons why and what is being searched for, that remains confidential," Key said.

A representative from the Doña Ana County district attorney's office was present during the search. State Police patrol cars were parked outside City Hall late Tuesday.

Neither City Manager Jaime Aguilera nor city spokesman Arturo Alba was available for comment.

City Council members Isabel Santos and Carmen Rodriguez said they were notified about the raid.

"It happened about 4:30 p.m.," Santos said. "About a dozen State Police and investigators showed up at the City Hall and asked everyone to leave. Then they locked the doors while they searched. I don't know what they were looking for."

Rodriguez said she fielded several calls from staffers who complained that they couldn't get into the building.

"Basically, the City Hall is in lockdown," Rodriguez said.

Last month, New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran launched a review of some of the city's election practices after receiving a complaint from one of the three mayoral candidates.

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Candidate Gerardo Hernandez alleged that absentee voting applications were improperly withheld from him, an allegation that city officials denied.

Hernandez said Tuesday that he doesn't know why the raid took place.

"I don't think it's related to my complaint, but I don't really know why state officials are searching through city records," Hernandez said.